Cheer up, Sleepy Jean
by Lily-Finn178
Summary: Chlerek/ He'd do whatever he could just to keep that smile on her face, even if meant that he had to hum all the stupid boy band tunes in the world.


Disclaimer: Darkest Powers are not mine...although I wish Derek was...if only...Also, I do not own Daydream Believer, including the lyrics used and, even, the title of this piece...as it was taken from said lyrics...Those things belong to Kelley Armstrong and the Monkees, respectively.

More Awakening spoilers for those of you who have not read it yet (to which I say--what are you WAITING for??). This takes place during the bus scene before Chloe and Derek get to Andrew's house.

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Cheer up, Sleepy Jean

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She was smiling. Really, truly smiling.

Sure, she had smiled before, plenty of times. She had laughed and joked, and both of those things had been accompanied by a bright, tiny smile. But that small smile was quite sad, really. What had she to be happy about? What had there been in the past couple of weeks that could actually merit a genuine smile from her? Last he knew, there was an entire list of horrific things that had happened in her life just recently, too much that even he couldn't fully wrap his genius brain around them all. He didn't understand how she could possibly be coping with everything.

His gaze turned to the window, staring out at the countryside whizzing by. Then, bored quickly with that, his attention shifted once again to the sleeping figure that was currently leaning against him. The pressure from Chloe's head made his arm numb, but he didn't mind. He hardly noticed anything at that moment. She was smiling...

Did she even realize how potent that smile was? It was his first time seeing such a true, honest to God smile gracing her lips, and it nearly made his knees weak. Chloe looked so content, so blissful in her slumber that he feared moving or else he'd wake her. And then that smile would disappear, to be replaced with the stress and the bleakness that had been instilled on her face since...well, he couldn't remember since when. Now that he thought about it, he realized she had always seemed so troubled, even when she was laughing and smiling with Simon or Rae.

There was a stirring on his shoulder, and he held his breath, watching her face, that smile. Letting out a small sigh of relief when she didn't wake up and the smile stayed in place. He moved the sweater under her head, trying to make it a little more comfortable. Waking her up was not something he planned on anytime soon. She needed the rest, especially after the night before, when she had watched over him after his almost Change. She could have left him there, could have run away. But she had stayed, even with that repeating performance of a murder just several feet away from her. He wanted to watch over her in return. And he wouldn't be able to let it go if she woke up before he felt she was fully rested.

A lock of raven hair tickled at his neck, and he brushed it down on her head again, his hand hesitating, then fully sweeping it behind her ear so it stayed in place. Then, with a last lingering look at her smile, that pure, innocent smile, he settled his head lightly on top of hers. The lips forming that beautiful smile parted and let out a whisper of a sigh, but his super-enhanced hearing picked up on it immediately.

Without thinking, he began to hum under his breath. It was the song that had made her smile in the first place, he recalled. She had been singing it last night, when he was the one sleeping. Luckily, his ears had heard, and, although not the most talented of singers, he could at least hum it back for her. Glimpsing at her face, he saw that her smile had only seemed to widen, making her look even more satisfied than she had already been.

He wanted things to get better for her, knew that she, at least, deserved to find happiness. But the rational part of his brain told him that things didn't seem to be going that way anytime soon. He knew that they still had to find Simon and Tori and Andrew, not to mention the never-ending quest for Dad. Had to keep evading the Edison Group at all costs. Had to struggle with their supernatural abilities, and the fact that they had no clue what would happen with said powers, thanks to the genetic alterations of the Edison Group. There were so many things to worry about, to deal with still, but right then he decided that no matter what, he wanted her to have a happy ending. He didn't want her to be sad or worried or always be on the run.

He wanted her to always be wearing that smile. Except he didn't know how...didn't know _what_ he could do to accomplish such a goal. He couldn't promise her anything, didn't know what the future had in store for her, for him, for _any _of them caught up in this mess. How he hated not knowing, not being able to do anything. He felt so useless.

She leaned closer to him, mumbling something he couldn't decipher, even with his werewolf hearing. The smile had slipped from her face, and he was disappointed to see it had been replaced with a frown. That look of utter joy and cheer had all but vanished from her face, and once more the burdens from the past several days settled into her features. He hadn't even realized he had stopped humming. Softly, he began again, humming directly into her ear so she would be able to hear him clearly. The smile sprang back into place.

He didn't know what was in store, was almost afraid to know. But, for now, he was able to do this one simple thing for her. If it kept that smile on her face...

_Cheer up, Sleepy Jean.  
Oh, what can it mean.  
To a daydream believer  
And a homecoming queen._

_Cheer up, Sleepy Jean._

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Authoress's Notes: Yayness!! Two in one week! That almost never happens. That shows that I am totally and utterly obsessed. It's the Chlerek! It's got a hold on me! So, yes, the song used right there at the ending is Daydream Believer by the Monkees. I've been rereading all the Derek/Chloe scenes in The Awakening...a lot. And the scene on the bus where Derek starts humming Daydream Believer and Chloe goes to sleep listening to him is one of my favorite scenes. I was inspired by both the song and that scene to write this.

First, I looked up the song on Youtube (just because I wanted to know if I knew it already) and listened to it about a hundred times in a row. Then, I went back and kept rereading the scene in the book about a hundred times in a row. And one little part caught my attention. It was where Chloe said she smiled as she laid her head on Derek's shoulder and went to sleep to the sound of him humming. And while I was listening to the song, the one line 'Cheer up, Sleepy Jean' just suddenly popped out at me and I was like HEY! FANFIC INSPIRATION!!!! Because the 'Cheer up' part made me think of how things were a little gloomy for our little necromancer and things were not looking up. And I thought if I were Derek and totally in love with Chloe, I would want to try and make her happy. And this song obviously makes her happy, as she sings it when things around her are...less than happy. So then Derek would sing her the song to make her happy!!! How many times did I use the word happy in this paragraph...?

Anyway, thanks to those of you who read/reviewed/enjoyed reading Personal Interest. I hope you like this little piece as well. I think I liked this one more than PI, but mostly because I got to listen to Daydream Believer over and over again while writing it and that really annoyed my family. And when they complained, I was all like 'Shut up, it's a happy song!! It makes me happy!'

For any of you who enjoyed both of my Chlerek (I really am starting to love that word!) works, then I'm gonna let you know that I have an idea in mind for another one! I know, so soon? I'm shocked by myself because I can never think of two fanfics so quickly in a row, let alone three! But just so you know, it's gonna be called Inevitable. And that's it. You'll just have to wait and see what it's about...Oh, but it will be told from Derek's point of view kind of, like PI and this story. I don't know...I like working from Derek's mind. Maybe it's because the actual books are in Chloe's mind, so I just want a little change of scenery.

Did anyone notice that Chloe was sleeping in both my fics? Derek is such a creeper, watching girls as they sleep...Lol!

Sorry...my end notes get kind of out of hand. Hope you enjoyed the story! Thanks for reading!


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